DefendAmerica 11/18/2003

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Nov 18, 2003

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COMMO SITE — U.S. Army personnel set up a communications antenna atop a building outside the city of Kirkuk, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Nov. 16, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe

PRESIDENT BUSH

Saddam Tape Will Not Deter
U.S. From Finishing Job in Iraq

By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — Saddam Hussein's "same old stuff" and "propaganda" won't keep the United States from completing its mission in Iraq, President Bush said here Nov. 16.
     Speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, the president said he didn't yet have all the details of an audiotape broadcast on the Arabic-language news network Al Arabiya. On the tape, purportedly from Saddam, the speaker urges Iraqis to resist and fight the coalition until it leaves the country.
     "I haven't seen the specifics," the president said. "I suspect it's the same old stuff. You know, it's propaganda. We're not leaving until the job is done, pure and simple." More

U.S. Soldiers Foil Illegal Border Crossing in Iraq, Kill Attackers

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — U.S. soldiers prevented an illegal border crossing and killed or captured attackers in three weekend incidents, officials at Combined Joint Task Force 7 in Iraq reported today.
Soldiers from the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment detained six suspected foreign fighters who were trying to flee from Iraq into Syria the night of Nov. 16. One suspect attacked a soldier with a knife, and was shot and killed. Officials confiscated passports, airline tickets and a large sum of money from the captured men, and are holding them for questioning. More

U.S. Soldiers Capture Brothers Linked to Attacks on Coalition

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — With Operation Iron Hammer in full swing around Baghdad and Operation Ivy Cyclone II under way around Tikrit, Baquba, Kirkuk and Balad, U.S. and coalition forces continue to crack down on insurgents in Iraq.
Paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on Nov. 16 captured two brothers linked to attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, U.S. Central Command officials said. More

Iraq Weekly Progress Update (Governance, Electricity, Education, Oil, Security, Economics, Health Care)

U.S. Defense Dept. slides with facts &
figures on reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

U.S. State Dept. fact sheet on the latest developments in restoring Iraq's essential services, security, economy & governance.

82nd Airborne Captures
Former Regime Loyalist

     AR RAMADI, IRAQ — Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division attached to the 82d Airborne Division captured Kathim Mohammad Faris, who is also known as Abu Ka’af, near Habbiniyah Nov. 15.
     Ka’af is a former Iraqi Special Forces officer and a Fedayeen leader who is believed to be responsible for IED attacks and ambushes on coalition forces.
     The soldiers confiscated an RPK, an MP5, six AK-47s, assorted rifles, flares, a bayonet, multiple fake identification cards, a computer, a fax machine, chemical protective masks and two new automobiles.
     The 82d Airbone Division soldiers Task Force “All American” continues to aggressively search out anti-coalition forces to ensure the security of the Iraqi people.

U.S. Soldiers Continue to Find Weapons, Build Relations

AR RAMADI, Iraq, Nov. 15, 2003 — U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division conducted missions in order to stop violence and violent intentions from insurgents who oppose the peace process Nov. 15, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
Soldiers of the “All-American” Division, as the 82nd Airborne Division are known, went on 182 patrols, nine of which were joint patrols with members of the Iraqi Border Guard and Iraqi policemen. One cordon and search mission and an air assault raid were also conducted over the last 24 hours. More

Army Launches 'Ivy Cyclone II'
To Target Insurgents

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2003 — The Army's 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse have launched a combined-arms operation called Ivy Cyclone II in the effort to root out and crush insurgents in Iraq, U.S. Central Command officials announced today.
Officials said the operation combines "actionable intelligence" with close-air support, Army aviation, armor, artillery, mechanized infantry and air-assault operations for rapid deployment of dismounted artillery. Coalition forces, officials added, will continue to deploy large numbers of forces in specific areas that have been identified as platforms for coordination and control of enemy operations. More

Radio

Television

Rumsfeld in Asia 2 More Photo Essays

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld shakes hands with Air Force Security Forces airmen while visiting Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Nov. 15, 2003. Rumsfeld was traveling to Guam, Japan and South Korea to meet with U.S. military forces and the local military and civilian leadership. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway, U.S. Air Force 7 More Photos

Commentary: The Passenger

By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramie Brown / Air Force News Agency

     RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Nov. 14, 2003, (AFPN) — Like most Americans, I find that I am pretty selfish sometimes. I learned just how selfish on a recent trip to Iraq. I was sitting on a C-130 Hercules waiting to leave a location I can’t spell or pronounce, when we got delayed. I was annoyed. I’d been traveling for hours trying to get to my destination and here we were, stuck in some out-of-the-way place and I was hot, tired and ready to get there already. Then it happened. I found out we were waiting on another passenger.
      I didn't know his name. I say ‘his’ but I didn’t know if he was actually a he or a she. I didn’t know what branch of service he was in or what rank he was. All I knew was that this passenger cost me another hour and a half on that plane.
      Little did I know how profound an impact "The Passenger" would have on me. You see, this passenger that we had to wait on, who delayed our trip and annoyed me and the other passengers, was a casualty of war. More

Presence of U.S. Forces in
Iraq May Continue After June

By K.L. Vantran / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2003 — U.S. military forces may remain in Iraq when full sovereignty is given to the Iraqi people in June and the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolves, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, CPA administrator, said in an interview from Baghdad, Iraq, today.
"Every indication we have in our discussions with the governing council (and) with the ministers suggests a strong desire from the majority of the Iraqi people to have the coalition forces stay until the situation is stabilized," he said on Fox News Sunday. "We're in a war against terrorism here, and a low- intensity conflict against former Baathists. We want to help the Iraqis win both of these wars." More

International Partners

Polish Task Force Celebrates
Independence Day with Exhibition

Members from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 landed on Bagram Air Base recently, the first Navy E-2C squadron to contribute, not from a ship, but from land. U.S. Army photo

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Celebrating their 75th Independence Day, the Polish Task Force held an open-house exhibition at the Polish Compound on Bagram Air Base Nov. 11.
The hour-long exhibition gave coalition partners, who attended the event, a chance to get an in depth look at the weaponry and equipment the Polish Task Force uses in supporting operations in Afghanistan. More

Milestone Flight: U.S. Air Force C-5 Transport Arrives at Balad

By U.S. Air Force Capt. Monica M. Bland / 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing

     BALAD SOUTHEAST AIRFIELD, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2003 (AFPN) — The first C-5 Galaxy arrived here Nov. 12, from Dover Air Force Base, Del., increasing the Air Force presence at the Army's Logistical Support Area. A 14-person crew and about 21 truckloads of war materiel were on board the aircraft.
     "This event is a significant milestone in support of the global war on terrorism and continuing joint operations in this region," said Col. Frank Padilla, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s Detachment 1.
     “The more cargo (the Air Force) can bring in using aircraft can exponentially reduce the amount of vehicle convoys required from Baghdad International Airport, to transport much needed cargo into and out of here," Padilla said. More

Iraqi Freedom `Lessons Learned’ Being Gathered Online, Explored

By Janet Wray / Army News Service

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan., Nov. 14, 2003 — The Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth is hosting an Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned conference in an online collaborative mode that will culminate by bringing soldiers together at Fort Leavenworth in December.
The online worksites started in early November and will conclude when attendees come together at Fort Leavenworth in December to finalize the OIF observations, lessons, and implications that have been explored. More

10th Mountain Division soldiers stand by as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter delivers supplies during Operation Mountain Resolve. The operation, which began on Nov. 7, is currently taking place in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, 4th Public Affairs Detachment

Part One
10th Mtn. Div. Shows its
Mettle In Operation Mountain Resolve

By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramie Brown / Air Force News Agency

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division lived up to their namesake, braving treacherous terrain and weather to accomplish their initial ground mission during the launch of the Coalition Joint Task Force 180’s latest strike in the war on terrorism, Operation Mountain Resolve.
Elements of 10th Mountain Division’s Warrior Brigade, led by Company B, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, air assaulted into farm fields on the outskirts of Namgalam Village in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan shortly after nightfall Nov. 6. Upon landing they immediately began their mountainous trek that would ultimately end six days and more than 20 kilometers later on a mountaintop after reaching their objective, a suspected Anti Coalition Militant stronghold. During the first three nights the large 10th Mountain Division force traveled along the mountainsides of the Darrahe Waygal valley along the Fawerikhwar River. More

2nd Armored Cavalry Regt. Troops Help Raise Village Living Standards

By U.S. Army Capt. Jason Tolbert / 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

Having the troops of 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 1st Armored Division, in the village causes the children to smile, laugh and mug for the camera. The 2nd ACR is helping promote the quality of life for the village’s 750 families. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jason Tolbert, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 17, 2003 - The story of the village of El Hamidiya is one of friendship and cooperation between Iraqi's, coalition and NGO's.
El Hamidiya is a small village to the north of Sadr City that was founded in 1958. About 750 families who are predominantly Shia inhabit the village. Both Fox Troop and Hawk Company from 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment have engaged the locals and their leadership in order to improve conditions in this outlying village. More

On Iraq

. Ambassador Bremer: 'Future of Hope' in Iraq Includes Justice

. Wolfowitz: Women's Rights Must be Guaranteed in Iraq

. Feith Defends Coalition's Move To Take Down Saddam Hussein

. Japanese PM Tells Rumsfeld Iraq Mission 'Important Cause'

. Fighting Terror War Involves Choice Between Freedom, Fear

. Gen. Abizaid: Iraq's 'Despicable Thugs' Can't Defeat Coalition

. Two Army Helicopters Crash in Mosul, Iraq

Military News

. Proud Families Hang Tough For Late Arriving Loved Ones

. U.S. to Move Military Forces From Seoul, DMZ

. Veterans Welcome R&R-Bound Troops

. Wolfowitz Praises Top Civilian Employers of Guard, Reserve

. President Extols Importance of Employer Support for Guard, Reserve

. Rumsfeld Visits USS Blue Ridge in Japan

. Rumsfeld Visits Okinawa; Meets With Troops, Local Officials

Mosul Crash Leaves 17 Dead, Five Injured, One Missing

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2003 — Seventeen soldiers are dead, five others are injured, and one more still is unaccounted for following today's crash of two U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in West Mosul, Iraq.
     The helicopters crashed about 250 yards apart in a residential neighborhood at about 10:30 a.m. EST, U.S. Central Command officials said.
     The injured were taken to the 21st Combat Support Hospital at the Mosul airfield. More

. Defense Officials Identify 5 Killed in Helo Crash

Deadline Nears to Send
Packages to Deployed Soldiers

WASHINGTON, Army News Service, Nov. 14, 2003 — Christmas is a month away, but individuals only have half that time to get their packages to deployed troops in time for the holidays.
The deadline to get packages to the Central Command area in time for Christmas is Dec. 4 by First Class or Priority Mail, according to the United States Postal Service. More

Army Theater Group
To Perform in Iraq, Afghanistan

FORT BELVOIR, Va., Nov. 13, 2003 (Army News Service) — BRAVO! Army Theatre Touring Company will present “Farley Family Reunion” during the holiday season to lighten spirits of Soldiers deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. More

Artist Turns Iowa Graffiti
Rock into Military Tribute

Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II of Des Moines, Iowa, has painted a different patriotic scene on a boulder north of Greenfield for each of the last five Memorial Day holidays. This is the rock as it now appears.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 – Something about a 12-foot-high, 56-ton rock north of Greenfield, Iowa, must scream "Paint me!" to the artistically inclined. For years, it played host to teenagers' graffiti as it stood sentry next to Highway 25, about a mile south of the Greenfield exit off Interstate 80 in Iowa.
Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, 24, now of Des Moines, Iowa, grew up in Greenfield and had seen the rock countless times. Until 1999, if the rock was calling him to paint it, he wasn't listening. But then he saw the Tom Hanks film "Saving Private Ryan," and soon he answered the call. More

Operation Military Pride
Supports Deployed Troops

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — Once the children are off to school, Arlyn McCoaughry logs onto the computer in her Arizona home and begins reading e-mails from service members deployed throughout the world.
As chairperson for Operation Military Pride, a non-profit organization that sends letters and care packages to troops deployed overseas, McCoaughry said the items most often requested include baby wipes, junk food, gum, foot powder, gel insoles, magazines and books. More

USO Gears Up Holiday Support

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — The United Service Organizations recently announced it has teamed up with Armed Forces Entertainment and Reader's Digest to help support U.S. troops during the 2003 holiday season.
The USO, a nonprofit charitable corporation that extends a touch of home to military members, will soon send entertainer Wayne Newton, actor/director Gary Sinise, singer/television star Chris Isaak, country music star Neal McCoy and members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to entertain troops stationed in the Persian Gulf. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

	U.S. Views — Quotes by President Bush & other U.S. leaders
	Defense Views — Quotes by U.S. defense leaders
	Maps of Iraq — Maps of the nation of Iraq and the region

President George W. Bush

"The sacrifice that our folks are making in Iraq will serve our nation's interests in the short-term and long-term. It's best to defeat the terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to defeat them here. "

Remarks at the White House, Nov. 16, 2003

Profile

U.S. Army Capt. Jan Guy

TIKRIT, Iraq — As battalion medical officer for the 124th Signal Battalion in Tikrit, Iraq, U.S. Army Capt. Jan Guy and her medics keep their hands full caring for 4th Infantry Division troops.
In addition to basic aches and pains and injuries from vehicle and other accidents, they treat serious wounds received during raids and patrols in the community, located in the heart of the Sunni Triangle. More

More Profiles

In Afghanistan

Navy Squadron
Supports Bagram Air Base

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2003 — A group of sailors are making history in Afghanistan as they support Operation Enduring Freedom from a forward operating base. More

. Goodwill Game Volleys Coalition Relationship

. B-Huts Improve Life at Bagram

In Kuwait

Humanitarian Effort a Sweet Success

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Kuwaiti children along with Coalition Forces officials gathered at Humanitarian Operations Center in Kuwait City Nov. 15 to pass on nearly 2,000 pounds of candy to Iraqi children. More

In Djibouti

American MPs Share
Tactics with German Counterparts

NEAR CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, Nov. 10, 2003 — Security personnel here supporting Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa participated in bilateral training with their counterparts from the German military November 1 and 2. More

In Iraq

. Task Force 1-35 Aid Station Staff Honored

'On The Ground' Archive

Send Your 'Best Wishes' to the Troops
Pay tribute to service members supporting the global war on terrorism. Send your message. Read messages to the troops.